Where am I at?
The background story…
I have been researching my ancestors since the late 1970s. I would think it is around 1977/78. My grandfather (on my father’s side) was born in England. This gem has allowed me, over the years, to live and work in the UK.
In the 1980s, my research took off in leaps and bounds as I collected names, dates and places of my ancestors. More on this as I move forward in my story.
Over the past three years due to various circumstances, I have had the opportunity to investigate my research intensively:
I have used a variety of sources to advance my ancestor database. The sources used have come from: Ancestry, Find My Past, My Heritage, The Genealogist, Scotland’s People and various newspaper resources to obtain the vital details. These resources, also, give context to my research. More on this later…
In 2022, I have focused on ensuring all my records are sourced and cited. It has been a mammoth task. There is still a lot of work to be done. I do feel confident and comfortable with where my research is currently at now. Besides looking at my direct ancestors, I have looked at their families as well as where they lived and the line of work they carried out. These processes will be discussed at another time.
(Figure 1: Austin Ancestor Chart) This chart shows my ancestors, commencing with me, the chart shows my parents, my grandparents and my great-grandparents.
Where am I at now…
Ensuring ALL records are sourced and cited. Having proof of where my ancestors once lived, walked and died is essential. For without proof a living tree has dead branches. With my own tree, I have had dead branches (which have been corrected – offline). Adding context to my tree has created more of a story, other than just a list of names, dates and places.
My goals are not just about collecting the usual information as mentioned above. My tree currently consists of approximately 1600 or so individuals of whom I am just a small part.
Online, I have seen trees with many thousands of names. It is hard to know if every one of these records has been correctly sourced and cited. One thing we need to remember is just because an online platform gives you a hint, doesn’t mean it is correct… A lesson learnt…
So, where to now?
Now, as the first month of 2023 comes to an end, I am continuing to make discoveries… (more on this later).
Writing this blog is a big thing. Telling the world about me is another. Adding context to my story and that of my ancestors gives the research I have done over the years some meaning.
It’s fun. It can be sad – that’s part of my life so let it begin and develop…
Oh, and make sure you join Lost Cousins – www.lostcousins.com
Ancestor Family 
Great start, Rod. Look forward to more posts
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Enjoyed reading your blog Rod and look forward to reading more.
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Very interesting start…and was interested to read about your visits to the uk too..
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